Coca-Cola to Test Prebiotic Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite Zero Sugar and Fresca in Northeast Pilot

Originally reported by FoodBev Media.

Coca-Cola will test prebiotic versions of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite Zero Sugar and Fresca, each formulated with 6 grams of prebiotic fiber and zero sugar, in a limited pilot across parts of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania beginning in late October. The company unveiled the test in early October as part of its 2027 innovation slate, ahead of the NACS Show in Las Vegas, as first reported by FoodBev on October 6.

The company describes the pilot as a regional test-and-learn through which it will evaluate consumer response, according to its statement as published by Beverage Industry. The move takes Coca-Cola's core soda trademarks into a prebiotic segment that Food Dive described as dominated by Olipop and Poppi, which PepsiCo acquired last year; PepsiCo has also introduced a prebiotic version of Pepsi, Food Dive reported. Coca-Cola's first prebiotic soda was Simply Pop, launched under its Simply juice brand early last year. “For us, innovation starts with the consumer,” Shakir Moin, Coca-Cola's president of marketing for North America, said in the statement, as carried by Beverage Industry.

The rest of the 2027 slate includes Coca-Cola Cherry Lime in February and Coca-Cola Strawberry Float in summer, Powerade Watermelon and Lemon Lime Zero Sugar in January, vitaminwater zero sugar formula 100 in grape in March and a limited-time Mr. Pibb Black-Current in spring, per the company. Its fairlife business will add Core Power Banana in January in 26-gram and 42-gram protein versions, and the company says fairlife is approaching $4 billion in retail sales.

Why it matters

The pilot changes where Coca-Cola places its prebiotic bet. Its first entry, Simply Pop, sat under a juice brand; this test attaches a 6-gram prebiotic fiber specification to three established zero-sugar soda trademarks. That gives the products the recognition of existing brands, but it also tests whether a prebiotic variant can sit next to the standard Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite Zero Sugar and Fresca without blurring the line between them or simply moving existing buyers from one can to another.

The structure of the test limits the downside. A pilot confined to parts of three states and framed as test-and-learn lets the company read consumer response before committing national production and shelf space, at a time when a direct rival already owns one of the segment's leading brands. Zero-sugar formats also run through the wider slate, from Powerade and vitaminwater to the prebiotic sodas, which places the pilot inside a broader portfolio plan rather than a one-off line extension.

What to watch

The open question is whether the pilot moves beyond parts of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and on what timeline, once Coca-Cola has read the consumer response it says the test is designed to measure.

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Sources

• FoodBev Media: Coca-Cola unveils new beverage innovations across portfolio for 2027
• Beverage Industry: Coca-Cola teases new flavors, functional drinks at NACS
• Food Dive: Coca-Cola steps into better-for-you soda market with prebiotics
• Mass Market Retailers: Coca-Cola previews new flavors coming in 2027